Studies of different neurodiagnostic subgroups indicate the presence of brain dysfunction in at least some schizophrenic patients. These studies have been summarized in reviews that suggest that the brain dysfunction in schizophrenia could occur as the result of a faulty maturation of the central nervous system during infancy and adolescence. Accordingly, one strategy in the biological research of schizophrenia is the investigation of variables that could play a role in the plasticity of the brain.
Phospholipase-A2 (hereinafter "PLA2") is a key enzyme in the metabolism of phospholipids, catalyzing the release of fatty acids and highly toxic compounds, such as lysophosphatidylcholine. Extracellular PLA2 is synthesized in the pancreas as a digestive enzyme, whereas intracellular PLA2 controls the phospholipid turnover in the cell membrane, in turn affecting membrane integrity and membrane function.
Whereas a role for PLA2 has been described in clinical conditions such as acute pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, only one study of this enzyme in neuropsychiatric disorders has been reported: Gattaz et al, "Increased plasma phospholipase-A2 activity in schizophrenic patients: reduction after neuroleptic therapy", Biological Psychiatry 22:421-426 (1987). Because PLA2 may play an important role in neuronal plasticity and neuronal function, the activity of this enzyme in schizophrenic patients and healthy controls as well as in a small group of nonschizophrenic psychiatric patients was investigated.